Tag Archives: Queen Caveat

Well SXSW might be officially over but we are trying to keep the magic alive here at LMN. And can you blame us? It was an amazing good time full of great acts, good friends, much love, and lots of fun. So in the spirit of keeping things going, we present to you our top acts of SXSW 2014. This list is in no particular order because let’s face it, that’s too hard to do. Instead, think of this list as the acts that affected us the most. There will be familiar names and new names but all of them got to us at SXSW.

Amanda’s Picks:

One of the things that makes SXSW so fun is the opportunity to sample new music and discover your new favorite band. Morning Parade was a band that I wanted to casually sample. You know, stay for 3ish songs and go see someone else. That was my goal for the day. However, Morning Parade threw a wrench in my plans for the day. I was so enamored by them that I stayed for their entire set and was left wanting more from them. They had their fans dancing, heads bobbing, and feet tapping the whole time, mine included. They played new stuff, old fan favorites and I loved it all. Give me more!

The show that nabbed the title for the craziest rock and roll experience ever was Beware of Darkness at Wahoo’s. I had only seen Beware of Darkness a few times beforehand but those shows were nothing compared to this wonderful insanity. I’m not really sure what inspired the frequent guitar shredding trips into the crowd or the standing on a table rockstar moments from frontman Kyle Nicolaides but all of it was amazing. Truth be told, I wasn’t even going to attend this particular show because fatigue had set in, I wasn’t feeling well, and I was already in the hotel but I knew it would be my only opportunity to see some familiar faces so, I made the trek. The set was short but absolutely crazy in the best way possible. Definitely an experience that will be hard to repeat.

I think there’s something really special in being able to support a band out at SXSW who is there for the first time. File the relatively new band Dear Boy under that category. They had a rather light show schedule at SXSW so it was imperative for me (well, us) to make sure we caught this particular show at Rusty’s. It was their best show of SXSW, which was impressive considering it was a day show and on a very tiny stage. Their set was far too short (isn’t that how it goes at SXSW?) for my liking but they had a great energy and were really into their groove. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.

Seeing The Silent Comedy play at SXSW is always a good time. It’s an even better time when it’s at 1am, you’re tired from being up till 3am the night before, you’re in a small venue, and the stage is way higher up than you expect it to be. Sounds like a possible disaster, right? Nope. This was a crazy good time filled with some old favorites like “Prince,” “Gasoline,” and “Road Song” as well as some new tunes like, “Always Two” and “Avalanche.” Justin Buchanan, banjo and mandolin player extraordinaire gets an extra shout out for his crazy shenanigans, which involved leaving the stage to go play with the folks who thought it was safe to sit upstairs. You were wrong. I’m willing to bet there were a few folks in the crowd who fell for The Silent Comedy that night and really, who could blame them?

Semi Precious Weapons make me feel sexy. There. I said it. They were on my top picks last year and they are back again for putting on an even better show than last year. Since this was their only set at SXSW it was extremely important that this event not be missed. They had this really infectious energy about them that just bled into the audience, which kept growing and growing. The tight space gave me less dancing room but I didn’t care because being backed against a wall made it that much better. Their set included new/old favorites like “Cherries on Ice,” “Free Booze,” “That’s My Friends,” and “Drink” as well as two new songs “Vegas” and “Hands Up.” I’m happy to say that all of those songs will be on their forthcoming full-length album, Aviation. There was even a surprise visit from Lady Gaga herself who watched from the side stage. Needless to say, I left this show feeling Aviation High.

As it goes with SXSW, you tend to meet new people at shows and chat about similar musical interests and swap names of bands worth checking out. Well, I met this guy outside of Wahoo’s when I was wandering back to my hotel and stopped by to hear the beautiful noise from the venue. He told me their name was David and Olivia and I should come see his band play there later that week. When he said his band was Robert Jon and The Wreck I immediately recognized the name as someone The Silent Comedy had mentioned they were playing with and had seen it on the bill but had never seen them before. I promised to catch their set later that week and I’m really glad I followed through. When they started playing I changed from a walking zombie of myself to an alert toe-tapping individual who was ready to do some dancing. Although I failed to nab a picture of them playing (there was a sleeping Trina on my shoulder), they were really enjoyable and I look forward to seeing them play again sooner rather than later.

Kristen’s Picks:

I discovered some great talent at this year’s SXSW, but one of the most exciting for me is this young Swedish band called We Met Tomorrow. Their set at Karma Lounge was particularly sweet because I had tried and failed by mere minutes to see them earlier in the week. This band is instantly captivating with their genre-defying sound and unique set-up. Sans drummer, beat duties are divided between singer, Rickard, who works a bass drum and snare and bassist, Emil, who takes on a foot-pedal crash cymbal. The energy of the band easily transitions from heartfelt country/folk to frantic blues/rock making every song a new surprise. In a week packed with new sounds, We Met Tomorrow presented something different and exciting and that, for me, elevated them above the rest. New Band Love.

I adore Meg Myers. Her songs have a tantalizing mix of hard and soft that give them an addictive quality. I saw her at first opportunity Wednesday at The Empire Garage, but her set was way too short and left me craving more. Suddenly, I felt the compulsion to see Meg at every possible opportunity. I rearranged my schedule and was able to make it to her Wednesday night set at Red Eyed Fly. I think I was left unsatisfied at the previous occasion because Meg didn’t end her set with the gut punching “Heart Heart Head”, a song that just leaves you devastated in the best possible way. The set at Red Eyed Fly included more of the hard-hitting tunes like “Go” and yes, “Heart Heart Head”. I felt cleansed.

I didn’t think this show was going to happen for me. Friday night, I wanted to get to St. David’s for Hozier’s set at 9:45, but I was running late and the line for badges was the longest I’d seen that week. I camped out in the Church Chapel enjoying some Yoshiki and Gungor. Afterwards, I was just going to leave, but walking back past the main hall of the church, the line had whittled down substantially and within minutes I was ushered into the church. There was no more room on the pews, so I sat myself down in front of the stage. This casual looking band was in the middle of a song. They would have easily been mistaken for a garage band had it not been for the angelic voice coming from the man on the microphone. 20 seconds in and I was so mesmerized I swear my heart stopped beating so that I could listen all the more intently. I only caught 2.5 songs of his short set, but that was enough to make it one of my most lauded performances of the week.

4. Parade of Lights at The Brew Exchange (The Green Room by Beautiful Buzzz and The Most Definitely)

Parade of Lights is my break-out band of SXSW 2014. I ended up seeing them 3 times over the week. It would have been four had they not had to cancel their super late-night set on Thursday. I am a long-time fan of this band, but SXSW 2014 proved to me that they have really gotten to a place with their line-up and their tunes that has elevated them to be worthy of the big leagues. They are so electric! You see them once and you simply must see them again. The Parade of Lights set at The Brew Exchange was the first I caught that week and really reminded me of my band love. I was surrounded by friends, all dancing and falling in love with the music. The moment was perfection!

I’m not cheating here including two bands in order to get more of my favorites mentioned on the list. Although both Queen Caveat and The Kin are longtime loves, what made this a truly unique and spectacular SXSW moment, was the pairing of favorites I would not expect to ever find on the same bill. Another standout feature of this “set” was the audience. The rooftop was full of families and fans who really seemed to connect to both bands. Queen Caveat drew in a bunch of younger girls looking up to rock star frontwoman, Lauren Little, in complete awe. Then I spent quite a bit of time post-show chatting with newly minted The Kin fans who were enraptured by the Aussie brothers’ vocal harmonies and ear candy tunes as well as percussionist, Shakerleg’s unique hands on approach to creating a beat.

This band gets the award for most unique act of the week. They are a combination beat-box/blues band. Seriously, let that sink in for a minute. The duo not only has a unique and very compelling style, but they have serious stage presence and get additional points for audience participation (there was some hard core hip-shaking going on). This particular set was also special due to the SXSW miracle that needed to occur for me to get in to see it. Let’s just say I owe huge thanks to my new “friend” who was standing at the door.

Share Me:

One of my most memorable musical events last year was Filter’s Culture Collide Festival. I had a blast running around that part of town collecting pins and discovering bands like Royal Teeth, Icona Pop, and terminal. This week, once again, musical acts from around the world will come together in Echo Park. I already have my list of bands to check out and I wonder which will be the next band to change my life (or at least my musical landscape).

Other favorites playing this week include The Kin who will take the stage at The Staples Center (!!!) opening for Pink, Zane Carney whose debut EP Confluence deserves a good listen or two, and Queen Caveat who are continue their residency at one of my favorite Hollywood spots, Hemingway’s.

And that’s just the beginning of my show picks this week…here is the complete list:

To Keep in Mind:
October 14th: Frank Turner at The Fonda
October 14th: Branches at Bootleg Bar
October 16th: Langhorne Slim & The Law at The Troubadour
October 16th: The Delta Saints at The Mint
October 18th: Comedy charity event with Noel Fielding and Bobcat Goldthwait
October 18th: Placebo at The Wiltern
October 19th: Rags & Ribbons at The Mint
October 21st: Carbon Leaf at The Hotel Café
October 21st: Laura Marling at The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church
October 22nd: AFI at The Fonda Theatre
October 23rd: Diana Birch and Kodaline at The Troubadour
October 23rd: Matthew Mayfield at The Hotel Cafe
October 25th: Stephen Kellogg at McCabe’s
October 26th: Boy at The Fonda
October 27th: Stephen Kellogg at Saint Rocke
October 28th: Foy Vance at The Hotel Cafe
October 30th: The Neighbourhood at The Palladium
October 30th: Lewis Watson at Bootleg Bar
October 31st: Iron & Wine at Orpheum Theatre
November 5th: The Lonely Forest at Bootleg Bar
November 13th: Mayday Parade at House of Blues
November 19th: Foxes at The Troubadour
November 20th/22nd: Black Crowes at The Wiltern
November 22nd: Sir Sly at The Echoplex
November 23rd/24th: Pearl Jam at LA Sports Arena
December 3rd: Howie Day at Largo
December 5th: Howie Day at Saint Rocke
December 6th: Will Hoge and Red Wanting Blue at The Troubadour
December 10th: The Head and the Heart at The Wiltern

Share Me:

Well, Rocktober is indeed upon us. It would be quite easy to do a show a night all month long and not hit a weak one in the bunch. It also involves making a lot of hard choices and, if your schedule doesn’t permit going to shows every night, a lot of sacrifices. My top shows this week are mostly bigger names: Frightened Rabbit and Augustines, Matt Nathanson and Joshusa Radin, and the rock band that defined my high school years, Travis!

But before we leave September, we have one more Monday to catch the great residencies of the past month. If you haven’t seen Dear Boy, Free Energy, or Deluka/Fire in the Hamptons at their respective free shows, don’t miss out!

Thursday: The Honey Trees at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: The Active Set at Molly Malone’s (9:50)
ALSO: Half Moon Run at The Troubadour (9:30)
ALSO: Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Y Luv and King Washington at WitZend (9,10)
ALSO: 28 North at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: Matt Nathanson and Joshua Radin at The Wiltern (7pm)
ALSO: Noah and The Whale with LP at Avalon (8pm)
ALSO: Filter with Red and Otherwise at House of Blues (7:30)

Sunday: Jake Newton at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson at The Hollywood Bowl (6:30)
ALSO: Way Over Younder Festival at The Santa Monica Pier featuring Conor Oberst, First Aid Kit, The Felice Brothers, and more (2pm)

To Keep in Mind:
October 8th: Daughter at The Wiltern
October 8th: The Maine and Anberlin at The Mayan Theatre
October 8th: Natalie Maines at El Rey Theatre
October 9th: The Avett Brothers at Shrine Auditorium
October 10th: Tony Lucca at The Hotel Cafe
October 10th/11th: The Pretty Reckless with Heaven’s Basement at House of Blues
October 11th: KT Tunstall at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
October 12th: 30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl
October 14th: Frank Turner at The Fonda
October 14th: Branches at Bootleg Bar
October 16th: Langhorne Slim & The Law at The Troubadour
October 16th: The Delta Saints at The Mint
October 18th: Comedy charity event with Noel Fielding and Bobcat Goldthwait
October 18th: Placebo at The Wiltern
October 19th: Rags & Ribbons at The Mint
October 21st: Carbon Leaf at The Hotel Café
October 21st: Laura Marling at The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church
October 22nd: AFI at The Fonda Theatre
October 23rd: Diana Birch and Kodaline at The Troubadour
October 23rd: Matthew Mayfield at The Hotel Cafe
October 25th: Stephen Kellogg at McCabe’s
October 26th: Boy at The Fonda
October 27th: Stephen Kellogg at Saint Rocke
October 28th: Foy Vance at The Hotel Cafe
October 30th: The Neighbourhood at The Palladium
October 30th: Lewis Watson at Bootleg Bar
October 31st: Iron & Wine at Orpheum Theatre
November 5th: The Lonely Forest at Bootleg Bar
November 13th: Mayday Parade at House of Blues
November 20th/22nd: Black Crowes at The Wiltern
November 22nd: Sir Sly at The Echoplex
November 23rd/24th: Pearl Jam at LA Sports Arena
December 3rd: Howie Day at Largo
December 5th: Howie Day at Saint Rocke
December 6th: Will Hoge and Red Wanting Blue at The Troubadour

Share Me:

Another Monday is upon us! What makes this one particularly special is that my birthday is tomorrow. True fact. What will I be doing, you ask? Going crazy in Vegas? Show hopping? Big giant party with friends? No, no, and no. I’m actually going back to school that day. Super thrilling, I know. Thankfully there are some super awesome shows this week to attend!

Share Me:

Last week I got to see The Silent Comedy twice. This is just
what I needed. Now, I can’t stop listening to their new EP, Friends Divide and every time the TV is
on, I hear them singing to me over the promos for Strike Back. I anticipate the
cravings to start up any day now. It’s always so bitter sweet when your
favorite bands get too big to see on a regular basis. At least I still have
bands like Irontom, Tournament of Hearts, and Queen Caveat, all playing show
this week. I highly recommend getting out to see these bands before they too only
come through town a couple times a year…

To Keep in Mind:
August 19th/20th: Ed Sheeran at The Staples Center
August 20th: Patrick Part at The Troubadour
August 22nd: Andrew Belle at Bootleg Bar
August 22nd: Foy Vance at Amoeba Records
August 24th: NEEDTOBREATHE at Harvest Social in Anaheim
August 24th: Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour
August 24th: Gavin DeGraw at LA Food and Wine Festival
August 31st: The Shakers at The Troubadour
September 4th: Tegan and Sara at The Greek Theatre
September 4th: Brendan James at The Hotel Cafe
September 6th: Gold Fields at The Troubadour
September 10th: Ewert and The Two Dragons at The SatelliteSeptember 14th: Hem at The Troubadour September 17th: Butch Walker at Bootleg
Theatre September 18th: Bastille at The El Rey
September 19th: Cold War Kids at The Wiltern
September 20th: twenty one pilots at House of Blues Anaheim (w/ Fall Out Boy
and Panic at The Disco)
September 21st: Keaton Simons at WitZend
September 24th: Ben Rector and Tyrone Wells at House of BluesSeptember 24th: Drew Holcomb and The
Neighbors at The Hotel Cafe September 25th: Wicker at The Roxy
September 26th: Hanson at House of Blues Sunset
September 27th: The Naked & Famous at The Wiltern
September 27th/28th: The Lumineers at The Greek TheatreSeptember 28th: White Buffalot at The El
Rey September 29th: Arctic Monkeys at The
Wiltern
October 1st: Jake Bugg at Fonda Theatre
October 1st: Bronze Radio Return at The Satellite
October 3rd: Matt Nathanson and Joshua Radin at The Wiltern
October 4th: Travis at The WilternOctober 5th/6th: Way Over Yonder Festival at
The Santa Monica Pier
October 8th: Daughter at The Wiltern
October 8th: The Maine and Anberlin at The Mayan Theatre
October 9th: The Avett Brothers at Shrine Auditorium
October 10th: Tony Lucca at The Hotel Cafe
October 10th/11th: The Pretty Reckless at House of Blues
October 11th: KT Tunstall at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
October 12th: 30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl
October 14th: Frank Turner at The FondaOctober 16th: Langhorne Slim & The Law at
The TroubadourOctober 16th: The Delta Saints at The
Mint
October 19th: Rags & Ribbons at The Mint
October 21st: Carbon Leaf at The Hotel Café
October 22nd: AFI at The Fonda Theatre
October 25th: Stephen Kellogg at McCabe’s
October 26th: Boy at The Fonda
October 27th: Stephen Kellogg at Saint RockeOctober 28th: Foy Vance at The Hotel
Cafe
October 31st: Iron & Wine at Orpheum Theatre
November 20th/22nd: Black Crowes at The Wiltern
November 23rd/24th: Pearl Jam at LA Sports Arena
December 6th: Will Hoge and Red Wanting Blue at The Troubadour

Share Me:

I had quite the fun filled week which included Warped Tour, card games, laughing, dancing, and a pizza party. I’m sad that it ended yesterday but hopefully the fun times will resume next week in Arizona and Vegas. In the mean time, here are some shows to tide us all over.

Share Me:

I’ve been reading a lot of books lately and I’m being
reminded why this is not always the best idea. I love music because every song
offers a little 3-5 minute escape into another world. A good book, on the other
hand, can get me lost for days or weeks at a time. Then it’s like I’m
straddling two worlds, the one that I’m in and the one from the book that my
mind holds onto even when I’m not staring at the page. Sadly, as much as I want
to return to a vampire-filled Elizabethan London, a magic circus in Victorian
London, and a small town on the coast of Maine (okay, I’m in the middle of
three different books), I have work to do! I had the pleasure of going to
Warped Tour last Thursday as a videographer and this footage will not edit
itself (pictures to come soon!).

Speaking of Warped, one of my favorite bands from that day,
The Material, is playing The Roxy next Sunday. That, and of course the last
night of Queen Caveat’s Monday night Satellite residency are the shows I’m most
looking forward to next week.

To Keep in Mind:
July 1st: Anberlin at The Roxy
July 3rd: Adam Arcuargi at The Hotel Cafe
July 10th: Crash Kings at The
Troubadour
July 12th: Kendra Morris at The Viper Room
July 15th: The Neighbourhood at The Fonda Theater
July 19th: Passenger at El Rey Theatre
July 23rd: Bastille at The
Troubadour
July 23rd: Savages at The El Rey
July 23rd/24th: The Postal
Service at The Greek Theatre
July 25th: Dan Wilson at The
Hotel Cafe
July 26th: Saint Motel at
The El Rey
July 27th: Fitz and The Tantrums at The Wiltern
July 28th: Shakey Graves at Bootleg Bar
August 1st: Semi Precious Weapons at The Viper Room
August 2nd: Kitten and Dear Boy at The Troubadour
August 4th: The Both at The Troubadour
August 1st-3rd: Sunset Strip Music Festival
August 8th: The Silent Comedy at Fonda Theatre
August 11th: Ivan & Alyosha at The Troubadour
August 14th: Jamie N Commons at The Troubadour
August 16th: Michael Bernard Fitzgerald at The Troubadour
August 19th/20th: Ed Sheeran at The Staples Center
August 22nd: Andrew Belle at Bootleg Bar
August 24th: NEEDTOBREATHE at Harvest Social in Anaheim
August 24th: Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour
August 25th: Andrew Stockdale at The Troubadour
September 4th: Tegan and Sara at The Greek Theatre
September 10th: Ewert and The Two Dragons at The Satellite
September 11th: Churchill at Greek Theatre
September 19th: Cold War Kids at The Wiltern
September 20th: twenty one pilots at House of Blues Anaheim (w/ Fall Out Boy
and Panic at The Disco)
September 26th: Hanson at House of Blues Sunset
September 27th: The Naked & Famous at The Wiltern
September 27th/28th: The Lumineers at The Greek Theatre
October 1st: Jake Bugg at Fonda Theatre
October 3rd: Matt Nathanson and Joshua Radin at The Wiltern
October 4th: Travis at The Wiltern
October 8th: Daughter at The Wiltern
October 9th: The Avett Brothers at Shrine Auditorium
October 10th: Tony Lucca at The Hotel Cafe
October 11th: KT Tunstall at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
October 12th: 30 Seconds to Mars at The Hollywood Bowl
October 21st: Carbon Leaf at The Hotel Cafe
October 31st: Iron & Wine at Orpheum Theatre